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MAIMONIDES

“One only loves the Holy One blessed be He through the knowledge of Him. This love is commensurate to the knowledge. If the knowledge is little, the love will be little; and if the knowledge is great, the love will be great. Thus, it is imperative for a person to dedicate himself to understand and contemplate the wisdom and knowledge that inform him of his Creator.” (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Teshuvah 10:6)

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The Gate of Unity – Chapter 50

Now it is known regarding the particulars of the matter of the five judgments[1]MaNTzePa”Ch of speech in the ten utterances [of creation] which[2] “the mother lends [to the daughter]”, that these are the five organs of [speech of] the mouth.

אחה”ע מהגרון וגיכ”ק מהחיך כו’ הרי יש אותיות מיוחדי’ לכל מוצא בפ”ע

[The letters] Aleph, Chet, Heh, Ayin are from the throat, Gimel, Yud, Chof, Kuf are from the palate,[3] and so forth, so that there are specific letters for each organ, in and of itself.

והצירופים נמצאים בחיבור והתכללות מזה לזה בכמה אופנים שונים

The combinations arise through their union and intermingling in various different manners.

This is in accordance with what it states in Sefer Yetzirah,[4] “And He set them in the mouth etc., He made [the] letter [Aleph] reign etc, go out and contemplate that from five letters, one hundred and twenty combinations are made etc.”

והן ע”י בחי’ ה”ג המפרידות הבל הדבור

This comes about by means of the aspect of the five judgments which divide the breath of speech.

For in speech there is substance (Chomer) and form (Tzurah). The breath of the voice of speech is the substance which is comprised of fire, water and vapor (אמ”ר),[5] and the voice is divided into various combinations.

ואמנם קול א’ הוא המחבר לכללות כל הצירופים יחד

Nonetheless, a single voice unites the totality of all the combinations.

It is likewise so in respect to the aspect of the letters of thought in speech, that there is a single general thought that encompasses and unifies all the particular letters of thought which [come out] in the particulars of speech.

וכך הוא בקול שבמח’ עצמה מה”ג דאימא כו’)

And it is likewise so in regard to the voice of thought itself and the five judgments of Imma etc.)

והנה ידוע דאבא יסד ברתא כמ”ש מצרף לחכמה כו’

Now, as known[7] “The father founded the daughter” as stated that the [power of] combination is of Chochmah etc.[8]

This is in accordance with what was previously explained regarding thought, i.e. that the combinations of speech themselves are by means of the aspect of the five judgments which constrict the manner that the intellect [is revealed] in speech, and that it is according to this specifically that the combinations are drawn forth. Therefore, the various different ways that the combinations [of speech] constantly change is precisely according to the dictates of the intention of the thought that is [vested] in the speech.

The above explains the statement that it is Imma specifically which “lends [the clothes] etc,” which is the aspect of Binah – i.e. the upper Imma – which is drawn into the lower Imma, which is the aspect of Binah that becomes vested within the thought of speech, i.e. within the specific manner of each of combination of speech etc.

אך מ”ש מצרף לחכמה היינו שרש כח המצרף לצרופים הללו שע”פ השכל דבינה

However, the statement that “the [power of] combination is of Chochmah” refers to the root and power to actually combine these various combinations that are according to the intellect of Binah.

For, we observe that immediately upon the arousal of one’s desire to speak in various specific combinations one need not delve into the intellect and comprehension of Binah to determine how to combine the letters, for even a child who speaks, immediately knows to combine the letters of speech without any preparation for it whatsoever.

This is because the root of this power to combine comes spontaneously from the radiance of the Koach Ma”H of Chochmah which transcends the comprehension of Binah, i.e. it is from the aspect of the power of the intellect (Koach HaMaskeel) itself which is the source of Chochmah.

(This is as explained elsewhere regarding the verse,[9] “And the man became a living soul [Nefesh Chayah],” which is the inner aspect of the beginnings of Chochmah, and that it is specifically then that he is able to speak and is called a “Ruach Memalela – speaking spirit etc.”)

והיינו המאמר דאבא יסד ברתא כידוע

This, then, [explains] the statement that “the father founded the daughter” as is known.

(In this respect, the statement that “Bereishit is also an utterance” refers [only] to the Chochmah and intellect that is within the utterances, and does not refer to the power of combination which is possessed by all speakers and is called the “speaking soul” etc.)

(This refers to when the aspect of the root and source of the letters of the soul themselves come to be revealed in the aspect of the speech of the soul itself that it is called a speaking soul or speaking spirit etc.)

ולפ”ז הרי יובן בענין שנויי הצרופים בו’ ימי המעשה דמדות דמל’ דאצי’

According to this we may understand the matter of the changes in the combinations of the six days of creation of the emotive attributes of Malchut of Atzilut.

For example, from the combination of the first day, “Let there be light,” which is the aspect of Chessed,[10] is the root of the first millennium of Briyah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah as known regarding the verse, “In six days [Hashem] made etc,” referring to the six upper days of Zeir Anpin and Nukvah of Atzilut etc., which are called[11] “Yemei Olam – the days of the world” [in masculine] and “Yemot Olam – the days of the world” [in feminine].

וצירופי’ דיום ב’ יהי רקיע בחי’ דין דמל’ מקור דאלף שנה הב’

And from the combinations of the second day,[12] “Let there be a firmament,” come the aspect of judgment of Malchut which is the source for the second millennium.

This is as known regarding the explanation of [the verse,][13] “For a thousand years [in Your eyes] are but a day of yesterday etc,” referring to the[14] “six thousand years [that] the world exists” which are drawn from the six emotions of Malchut etc., i.e. from the differing changes in the combinations of the speaking spirit of Malchut which is called the speaking soul, as in “And G-d said etc.”

In other words, [the changing combinations] are because of the aspect of change in the drawing forth of the intellect of Chochmah and Binah in the emotions, whereby the manner of the combinations automatically changes from kindness to judgment both generally and specifically.

These [combinations] are all according to the aspect of the light of the radiance of Abba which founded the daughter (Barta), for it is the root [of the power] to combine as discussed previously, and it transcends the light of the intellect of Chochmah within the speech [itself] as mentioned above.

This [even] includes specific [changes] such as how Rabbi Chaninah Ben Dosa said,[15] “Let He who told oil to ignite [tell the vinegar to ignite] etc.” That is, let He who combined with the ten utterances of the name Elokim this nature of oil to ignite; let Him say this combination and nature to vinegar so that it should ignite.

וכמ”ש צדיק מושל ביראת אלקים בק”ך צירופים דאלקים כידוע

This is as stated that,[16] “A righteous (Tzaddik) rules with his fear of Elokim – G-d,” i.e. with the one hundred and twenty combinations of Elokim,[17] as known.

The primary aspect of this “ruling” is the change in the manner of the intellect of Nukvah, i.e. the Chochmah and Binah that is within the ten utterances from the very root of the wisdom and the root of the desire.

From all of the above we may also understand the general [principle and unity of the] Hitbonenut-contemplation with all its numerous details, i.e. from the very root of the desire in Malchut of Ein Sof all the way until Malchut of Malchut of Atzilut and until the very final action, so that it is literally [understood] that “Everything that HaShem desired He did” in actuality, like making vinegar actually ignite, and the like. This will suffice for the understanding.